Mistaken
by serabi
Summary: Paying attention to the people around you especially during town festivities doesn't hurt. Too bad Kaoru didn't think of this.


AN: This is really just a one shot. Based on an embarassing experience. Enjoy and any reviews will be greatly appreaciated.

* * *

Kaoru literally dragged Yahiko with her to go to the festival. She had not visited her hometown for four years now and she missed attending festivals such as this. Sure there were festivities in the city she's living in right now; but nothing can compare to town festivals such as her hometown.

"Geez, Kaoru, will you quit dragging me?" Yahiko irritably told Kaoru. "You act like a kid on her first festival."

"Sorry brat," replied Kaoru. "I just missed our town festival so much." She looked backed at him and smiled, "Besides, I want to see the changes in our town. We haven't visited here for four years, you know."

"As if something major changed in this place," Yahiko looked around amidst the throng of people. "The only change I notice was the old dojo we passed by renovated. I wonder who bought it." Yahiko said as an afterthought.

"What did you say?" Kaoru asked again, obviously distracted by the street performance ongoing.

Yahiko only just noticed that they were going to crash to a food cart if Kaoru would not look where she was going. "Hey ugly will you look at where you're going?" Yahiko shouted to Kaoru.

His ugly comment certainly gained not only Kaoru's attention but her wrath as well. "What did you call me, you little brat?" Kaoru replied just to irritate Yahiko. She couldn't clobber him at the street for the insult Yahiko so loved to throw at her, so she just called him little brat.

"I'm not little anymore," Yahiko shouted.

Kaoru triumphantly smiled for successfully annoying Yahiko. "You do realize you're shouting," she reminded him.

Yahiko blushed for shouting his denial in front of this crowd. The look he gave Kaoru promised a sparring he most certainly would win tonight after this festival.

Kaoru ignored him and just walked towards the temple to offer prayers. She still held his hand while walking and looking around the festivities. She paused at a store that sold beautiful ribbons and hair clips. She was busily scanning for a perfect piece that she did not notice Yahiko quietly sneaked away to go home.

"How much is this?" Kaoru asked the vendor

"That's only for a dollar miss," the vendor replied.

"Really?" Kaoru gushed excitedly. "I want to buy two of these please."

When Kaoru got her purchased ribbons, she grabbed hold of the man beside her mistaking him as Yahiko. "After this, I promise to get you home, and then we can have that match you are eagerly anticipating."

The man behind her did not reply at all which did not bother Kaoru since she advertently pricked his temper. And so Kaoru remained quiet too as they went straight to the temple.

Kaoru let go of the man's hand that she thought was Yahiko so she could pray. It did not bother her at all that he did not stay away from her since she already let go of his hand.

As she finished praying, she finally realized that Yahiko's hand was slightly bigger and more calloused as if he had held a sword for long time. Her heart started beating so fast when she noticed that the man was still behind her.

_Oh my god. Is he going to kidnap me? Is he a stalker of something?_ Kaoru said to herself. God, I don't want to die. I have not met the man of my dreams yet. Kaoru prayed silently before facing the man.

--

Kenshin noticed that the girl had finally realized that she grabbed the wrong person. He could not tell her to let go of him for fear of her shouting bloody murder and so he decided to go her way.

Kaoru whirled to face Kenshin so abruptly that she lost her balance and almost fell on her face had he not been there to catch her.

"Careful." Kaoru heard him. He's got a nice deep voice, she thought.

"Look mister, I don't know what you want but I am not someone you can easily pick up and drag around," Kaoru told Kenshin when she regained her composure.

He smiled amusingly at her quip.

"Miss, I think you look at this situation the wrong way," Kenshin told the young woman. "It was you who grabbed my hand and dragged me all the way to this temple. I should be reporting you for kidnapping."

Kaoru irritation and humiliation increased at being accused of kidnapping. "I am most certainly not a kidnapper. You should have said something the moment I held your hand."

"And what? Missed the chance of meeting the woman who promised to take me home and continue the match I so desperately wanted."

Kaoru blushed all the more at the innuendo. "Go home on your own. You're a big boy now."

"But I really wanted to get your name," Kenshin said to her. "Take it as a payback for dragging me here to be your bodyguard."

It would not hurt to give him her name since she would not be seeing him again, Kaoru said to herself.

"Kaoru. Kamiya Kaoru."

Kenshin smiled at the blue eyed woman as he offered his hand for a handshake. "Himura Kenshin. It's very interesting meeting you Kamiya Kaoru."

* * *

That was the last time she saw Kenshin at their town. She deduced that he was not from this town and he was just probably been invited for a day to attend the festival. A few days after the festival, Yahiko and Kaoru went back home.

Kaoru would be starting her new job at an architectural firm as an intern doing administrative work. She was assigned to one of the bosses who just got back from abroad.

She was asked by the HR personnel to report to her boss as soon as she got in the office. She softly knocked on his door and fixed herself before going into his office.

Her new boss was sitting on his chair talking on the phone, his back to her. When he finally faced him, a wide smile spread across his oh so familiar face as Kaoru blushed profusely.

"It's seems you are following me Kamiya Kaoru."

Kaoru remained silent, too surprised to reply to see the man she had mistakenly thought as Yahiko.

This reaction seemed to amuse Kenshin more.

"We'll really have a nice working relationship, Kamiya-san," Kenshin promised her.

And Kaoru's only reply was a nod.


End file.
